Taoiseach says Irish public will be refunded €170 million in water charges – that’s up to €325 per household within weeks

Sinn Fein's Eoin O Broin says this is potentially good news for people who were overcharged, but warned the public that the battle isn't over yet

By Adam Higgins

16th July 2017, 5:44 pm

Updated: 16th July 2017, 8:32 pm

SINN Fein has declared that the battle against water charges “isn’t over yet” after the Taoiseach revealed almost one million households will be refunded up to €325 from Irish Water within a number of weeks.

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar told a Sunday newspaper that the €170 million refund will be signed, sealed and delivered in the coming weeks as the Government looks to put the water charges catastrophe behind them.

The Irish Government are hoping to out the water charges fiasco behind them

The Taoiseach said: “They’ll get their money back. They’ll be refunded this autumn. We’re gearing up to do that.

“There’s a cost. There are logistical issues as to how it’s going to be done by Irish Water. And it may also require legislation. But we are intent to do it in the autumn. It’s not going to be a Budget announcement.”

Sinn Fein and a number of other parties have been campaigning against the introduction of metered water charges since they were installed in 2014.

The party’s spokesperson for housing Eoin O’Broin told the Irish Sun that while the Taoiseach’s development was welcome, the “battle isn’t over yet.”

He said: “Obviously we welcome this. It was one of the recommendations in the Oireachtas Committee on the future of water services that we strongly argued for.

“We believe people who paid should be refunded as soon as is possible. Obviously we have to wait to see the detail of what the Taoiseach is proposing.

Leo Varadkar yesterday told a Sunday newspaper that the €170 million refund will be signed, sealed and delivered in the coming weeks

“We have made significant gains but the battle isn’t over yet.”

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail struck a deal earlier this year regarding the future of water charges in Ireland however legislation on the topic has been held up by what Sinn Fein’s O’Broin called
“a row brewing” between the country’s two biggest parties.

He said: “The key issue here is that we still don’t know what their plan is in terms of the future funding of domestic water services.

“There was a report and while Fianna Fail and Fine Gael voted for that report there is still a big disagreement between them over the so called excessive charge.

Sinn Fein Clondalkin councillor Eoin O Broin has spoken out against Irish Water

“We were expecting legislation to be published in June and then we were told July and now we’re told its being held over until the Autumn and what we’re hearing behind the scenes is that there is a row brewing between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael over the content of that legislation.

“We have made it clear that we will vote against anything that sees the reintroduction of domestic meter charges. It is going to be interesting to see the detail of the legislation and the attitude of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to it.”

The news comes after the latest opinion poll revealed that Fianna Fail and Michael Martin have become more popular than Fine Gael and Leo Varadkar.

The Sunday Times Behaviour & Attidues poll released shows that the Fianna Fail leader has an 11 point satisfaction lead over the new Taoiseach.

The survey, carried out between June 29 and July 11, has Michael Martin with a 54 per cent satisfaction rate while the new Fine Gael leader is behind on 43 per cent – which is a six point increase on former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The poll also puts Fianna Fail as the most popular party in the country at 30 per cent while Fine Gael remain unchanged on 29 per cent.

Sinn Fein also remain unchanged at 18 per cent with leader Gerry Adams securing a 43 per cent satisfaction rating.

Labour’s Brendan Howlin is behind by one point at 42 per cent while the party have five per cent of the votes.